Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere and Dumfries & Galloway Council commissioned CAG Consultants to lay the foundations for a new regional climate adaptation partnership: Climate Ready Dumfries and Galloway. The work was funded through the Scottish Government’s Climate Ready Regions programme, supporting delivery of the Third National Adaptation Plan by expanding regional partnerships across Scotland.
Dumfries and Galloway is already experiencing more frequent flooding, coastal erosion, storms, agricultural disruption and wildfires, with warmer, wetter winters, more intense rainfall and sea-level rise projected along the Solway coast. The region needed both a clearer understanding of climate risks and opportunities, and a practical governance model to coordinate action across agencies, businesses and communities.
CAG delivered a preparatory phase between November 2025 and March 2026 with two linked objectives. First, to establish partnership foundations by mapping stakeholders, reviewing existing adaptation activity, designing governance options and building early buy‑in for a Climate Ready Dumfries and Galloway partnership. Second, to develop a high-level climate risk and opportunity assessment for the region, aligned with CCRA4 and comparable Scottish regional assessments, to create a shared evidence base and guide priorities.
Working with a project Working Group convened by the Biosphere and the Council, CAG combined desk research, semi‑structured interviews, comparative analysis of existing Climate Ready partnerships and a structured climate risk assessment. The team mapped a wide range of potential partners across public sector, business, civil society and community organisations, and carried out interviews with 16 strategic organisations including the local authority, NHS, utility providers, enterprise agencies, land-based sectors and community planning partners. They compiled an overview of adaptation‑related activity in the region – from flood protection schemes, peatland restoration and forestry resilience tools, to climate hubs, energy network storm planning and research on community resilience – and co‑designed governance options with stakeholders to agree a “light‑touch”, phased model that builds on existing structures.
The project also produced a foundational risk and opportunity assessment, covering 40 risks and opportunities across health, the built environment, infrastructure, the natural environment and the economy. This identified priority issues such as flooding and extreme weather, infrastructure vulnerabilities, risks to coastal and cultural heritage, pressures on natural systems and land-based sectors, social and economic vulnerability, and threats to major natural carbon stores.
The work has delivered a clear pathway for establishing the Climate Ready Dumfries and Galloway partnership, alongside the region’s first integrated, cross‑sector view of climate impacts and opportunities to 2080. Together, the partnership design and evidence base position Dumfries and Galloway to move from “foundations” to a fully established regional adaptation partnership, able to coordinate funding bids, develop a pipeline of adaptation projects and track progress over time.
For more information please contact: Ailsa Gibson (ag@cagconsult.co.uk)
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